


You're the world to me

by oncomingstorm42



Category: Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-21
Updated: 2013-07-21
Packaged: 2017-12-20 22:01:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/892378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oncomingstorm42/pseuds/oncomingstorm42
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, just now and then, Shilo and Nathan can be normal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You're the world to me

He had thought that everything he did would no longer affect him, no longer hover over his shoulders like ghosts or demons more likely.  He had crafted his more psychopathic side in order to deal with the horrors he inflicted on the poor souls that fell into debt with Geneco but it still didn't help.  Nathan Wallace was a broken shell of a man, no longer able to feel anything but apathy for the sub-humans that he shared the city with.  

He glared out of his kitchen window at the towering sky scrapers of the island.  Thankfully this part of the city was relatively free of corpses and the smog that hung around downtown, not that Nathan cared of course.  He sipped at his coffee, annoyed that his nightmares had returned and forced him to be awake at this god forsaken hour.  Even the zydrate dealers weren't awake this early.

He stood at the counter, half asleep and wondering why on earth he'd decided on coffee as a drink.  Apparently part of him thought that six o'clock was a reasonable time, he had to disagree, it was boring and pointless and by all rights he should be in bed and not stood in the kitchen.  Nathan sighed, slumping forwards, if things were different, if Marni had never... Well. No matter dreaming of things that could never be.  His wife was dead, by his own hand, his career ruined, again his own fault and his daughter-

"Morning dad!" 

-was awake and bouncing through the door like it was mid afternoon.

"Shi, what are you doing awake?" He looked at her like she'd gone mad, actually it wouldn't surprise him if she had, god knows he'd gone mad years ago.

"Couldn't sleep," she shrugged and leant beside him, beaming up at him like he was the best person she'd seen all day.  Which was strictly true since he was the only person she saw all day.  "I'm always up this early but you're not."

No, that's because Nathan usually managed to sleep through the night and certainly didn't need to be gripping a mug of coffee like it was a lifeboat.  "I uh, couldn't sleep either honey.  Too warm."

"You know it's good to talk about your nightmares," she said innocently, as though this was a normal topic for them.  Nathan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in disbelief.  His sixteen year old daughter, sheltered from the evils of Rotti Largo and Geneco, locked in her room and forbidden to leave, was giving him advice.  He felt like laughing but wasn't sure if that was the tiredness talking or if Shilo was actually making a joke.  "I'm serious Dad, I read it in one of those books you got me."

"What else have you been reading about?" He changed the topic quickly, not wanting to talk about his fears.  They may be all each other had but there were things he could never burden her with.

"Well there were a couple of cute boys-" Shilo started, giggling when Nathan cringed and shook his head.

"No, no, no. Not happening!" He pointed a finger at her and leaned in, "No boys until I'm dead or you're thirty, whichever comes first."  He tried to be stern and serious but the lack of sleep must have got to his brain because he was finding this hilarious.

Soon enough, father and daughter were collapsed against the counter, both in fits of laughter.  Nathan had always dreamed of times like this, just bonding with his child while Marni sat at the table and pretended to ignore them.  But Marni wasn't here and he was the only influence in Shilo's life.  He knew he was a poor substitute for a mother, and an even worse father for all that he tried to be what she deserved.  It wasn't fair, it wasn't easy but they'd get through it together because that's what they did.  They carried on.

"Dad?" Shilo had stopped laughing and was now looking lost and apprehensive.  "It's okay to miss her. Mom I mean.  I miss her too and I barely knew her, didn't know her at all and I know you miss her so I just mean-"

"I know Shi," Nathan blinked away the tears, touched by his daughter's understanding of something she'd never experienced.  That unconditional love between soul mates, between family.  The hurt it caused and the hope it gave.  "But your mother isn't really gone, she's in our hearts, always watching us." Literally, he thought, remembering Marni's preserved corpse in the closet upstairs.  The one Shilo thought was just a very lifelike model.

"So she knows when you're being an idiot?" His daughter smiled innocently, trying to banish the somber mood.

"Probably," he agreed, "and she knows when you are being stubborn." He tapped her nose and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.  "You're the world to me Shilo, I love you."

He felt her nuzzle into his jumper, "I love you too daddy."  She wound her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly, "Can we just stay like this?"

"Not really, I have a bad back," he replied, chuckling as Shilo lightly smacked his arm.  "Well I don't have work today so I guess we could just relax."  He didn't care what Rotti said, he'd call in sick if he had to.  A day with Shilo, just being a normal family for once, was something he didn't even know he needed until she mentioned it. 

Her answering smile was more rewarding than anything else he could have done today and as she skipped off to the lounge, Nathan felt lighter than he ever had since his wife's death.  yes Marni was gone and she was never coming back, but he had Shilo, their daughter, the one person on this island that loved him simply because he was there.  He felt like he could tell her everything and she wouldn't care, she'd just shrug and go 'so what?' As if his dark deeds meant nothing because he was her father.  But then reality came crashing in and he knew he had to keep it a secret in order to keep her safe.  Nathan Wallace had no enemies.  The Repo Man had the entire world out for his blood.  Shilo must be kept safe, no matter the consequences.


End file.
